Dustless brush.



P. S. HUNT.

DUSTLESS BRUSH.

APPLICATION FILED 3.20, 1908.

Patented Aug. 3, 1909.

W/ TNESSES.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE] FREDERICK S. HUNT, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO MILWAUKEE DUSTLESS BRUSH COMPANY, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN.

DUS'ILESS BRUSH.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK S. HUNT, residing in Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of lVisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Dustless Brushes, of which the following is a description, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, which are a part of this specification.

This invention has for its object to produce an oil feeding sweeping brush of a novel construction, wherein absorbent and nonabsorbent tufts are provided, the absorbent tufts being in communication with an oil reservoir to feed oil therefrom and the nonabsorbent tufts being insulated from the oil reservoir. In this construction the insulation of the nonabsorbent tufts is accomplished by a metallic lining for the oil reservoir to prevent the oil passingthrough the pores of the wooden brush back to the nonabsorbent tufts and by metallic bushings or oil insulating tubes lining the tuftopenings for the absorbent tufts to prevent the oil passing from such tuft openings through the potres of the brush back to the nonabsorbent tu'ts.

In dustless sweeping brushes in which the feeding of oil (usually kerosene) is relied upon to avoid raising the dust, the main problem met with is to prevent oil leakage to the nonabsorbent tufts which will cause streaks of oil to be left on the floor. The supply of oil needs to be under close control, so it may be adjusted to that degree where no more oil isfed than the dirt being swept is capable of absorbing, the object being to keep the absorbent tufts moist and not wet, that the dirt may become damp with oil and form balls or lumps of cohering particles instead of being thrown into the airas a fine dust. To accomplish this regulation, the oil reservoir is usually made air tight and is provided with a screw cap to admit air slowly and thereby allow the oil to gradually feed through the absorbent tufts which'lead from the interior of the oil reservoir. The nonabsorbent tufts are required to be insulated from the interior of the reservoir and this has been attempted in various ways, but owing to the porous nature of the wooden brush back there has been difficulty in avoiding the passage of oil from the oil reservoir through the pores of the brush backto the nonabsorbent tufts by which it will be car- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April20, 1908.

Patented Aug. 3, 1909.

Serial No. 427,983.

ried to the floor and caused to streak the same. Even when the butts of the nonabsorbent tufts have been incased to prevent theircommunication with the oil reservoir, it has been found that oil will be conveyed by the pores of the brush back from the ab sol-bent tuft openings to the bottom of the brush back where it reaches the nonabsorbent tufts and passes down them to the floor to produce the undesirable streaking.

It is therefore the object of this invention to avoid all possibility of the oil reaching the nonabsorbent tufts by lining the oil reservoir with a material impervious to the oil and extending such lining around the walls of the absorbent tuft openings, such lining being preferably of sheet meta With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in the dustless brush herein claimed, its parts and combinations of parts and all equivalents.

Referring to the accompanying drawings in which like characters of reference indicate the same parts in the different views; Figure 1 is an elevation of a dustless brush constructed in accordance with this invention, part being broken away to show the interior construction; Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof with parts broken away; and, Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view thereof.

In these drawings 5 indicates a brush back, usually of wood with tuft openings therethrough for absorbent and nonabsorbent tufts. A sheet metal shell 6 is mounted on the brush back to form an oil reservoir, there being a plate of sheet metal 7 upon the top of the brush back to constitute a metal lining for the reservoir for preventing the oil reaching the pores of the brush back. As usually constructed the metal shell (3 is clamped upon the top and bottom of the edges of the brush back,'as shown in Fig. 3,

with the sheet metal lining 7 for the oil resdrawn through the outer rows of tuft openings before the metal plate is applied tovthe spread on the floor, but only suflicient to brush back and said plate is provided with openings registering with the central line of tuft openings of the brush back through which the absorbent tufts 9 are wire drawn after the plate '7 is applied to the brush back.

The insulation of the butts of the absorbent tufts fromthe wooden brush back is accomplished by means of metal tubes or bushings 10 which are fitted in the central 7 row of tuft openings and are tightly clamped in place by having" their ends turned out-' wardly and their upper ends soldered to the edges of the openings in the reservoir lining plate 7. The wire drawing of the absorbenttufts 9 is of course done before the metal shell 6 is clamped in place, ,the' wires 11 thereofbeing located on top of the plate 7, and in order that the fit of these absorbent tufts shall be exactly right for the proper feeding of the oil it is desirable to make the tubes 10 of the same internal diameter and to measure the groups of fibers which are to constitute the absorbent tufts so that there will be as nearly as possible the same closeness-of fit to all of them Even with these precautions the importance of a uniform and restricted feed ofoil is such that J it is desirable that the absorbent tufts be drawn in place by skilled workmen who may judge of the extent to which the tufts are to be drawn into the tubes 10' according to the'fit thereof, so that an absorbent tuft which fits looser than another will have its butt drawn in farther than the other to equalize their conductivity for the oil.

A screw cap 12 is provided onthe shell 6 may be excluded from the reservoir when it is desired to prevent the flow of oil "and which may be loosened to admit air as needed topermit the desired oil feed. A handle may beattached to the brush back, and as n shown, this is accomplished by means of an arched sheet metal clamp 13 which'spans across the sheet metal oil. reservoirand engages the edges of the brush back, and is held in place by rivets 14 passing transversely through the brush back but avoiding the tuft'openings. The handle 15 has a threaded engagement with a nut 16 confined between the side flanges of the clamp 13 and may be adjusted in its angular position by riding a in a slot of said clamp 13.

In operation, the oil reservoir is charged with oil through the opening for screw cap 12 and the screw cap is put in place and tightened to the desired degree according i to the flow of oil desired, and then the brush is used in the ordinary manner. The oil will come in contact with the butts of the absorbent tufts in the bottom of the oil 5" not in quantities which will cause it to he keepthe line-of absorbent tufts,- which is continuous from one end of the brush'to the other, in a moist condition to cause the dust coining'in contact therewith to collect and form lumps which will roll across the surface of the floor and collect other particles of dust during the sweeping operation. With this construction no streaking of the fioor is caused, as the oil is effectively kept from the nonabsorbent tuft butts by the metal lining. to the oil reservoir, and is pre vented from reaching the nonabsorbent tufts' through the pores of the brush back from the absorbent tuft openings by reason of the metallic lining for said openings.

What I claim asniy invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is;

1. A dustless sweeping brush, comprising. a brush back having tuft openings, absorbent and nonabsorbent tufts fitting in the tuft openin s of the brush back, an oil reservoir on the brush back, a' lining for the oil reservoir having openings registering with the reservoir to the nonabsorbent tuft openings, and metal tubular linings for the absorbent tuft openings to prevent oil passing from theabsorbent tuft openings to the nonabsorbent tufts. 7 i I 2. A. dustless sweeping brush, comprising abrush back having openings, absorbent and nonabsorbent tufts fitting in the openings of the brush back, an oil reservoir on the brush back, a lining for the oil reservoir hav-' ing openings registeringwith the absorbent tuft openings, said lining serving to prevent the passage of oil fromthe'oil reservoir to the nonabsorbent tuft'openings, and tubular linings for the absorbent tuft openings im-' pervious to oil'for preventing theioil' reach ing the nonabsorbent tufts from the absorbent tuft openings. Y

3. A dustless sweeping brush, comprising a brush back, having openings, absorbent and nonabsorbent tufts fitting in the openings of the brush back, an oil reservoir formed on the brush back, a metal lining therefor having openings registering with the absorbent tuft openings, said lining-serving to prevent the oil reaching the nonabsorbent tuftiopen- 1 4. A dustless sweeping brush, comprising abrush back having openings, absorbent and nonabsorbent tufts fitting 1n the openings of the brush back, a sheet metal shell clamped? to the brushback to; form tan oil reservoir therewith, a sheetinetal plate on top of the brush back forming a lining for the oil. reser voir and having openings registering with the absorbent tuft openings, the edges of the sheet metal plate being clamped between the edges of the brush back and the clamping shoulders of the sheet metal shell, said metal plate serving to prevent the oil reaching the nonabsorbent tuft openings, and metal tubes forming linings for the absorbent tuft openings and united with the edges of the openings of the metal plate to prevent oil passing from the absorbent tuft openings to the nonabsorbent tufts.

5. A dustless sweeping brush, comprising a brush back having openings therethrough, absorbent and nonabsorbent tufts fitting in the openings of the brush back, a sheet metal shell clamped to the brush back to form an oil reservoir, a sheet metal plate on top of the brush back forming a lining for the oil reservoir and having openings registering with the absorbent tuft openings, the edges of the sheet metal plate being clamped between the edges of the brush back and the clamping shoulders of the sheet metal shell, a. line of cement at the meeting edges of the metal plate and the metal shell'to seal the oil reservoir, said metal plate serving to prevent the oil reaching the nonabsorbent tuft V plate to prevent oil passing from the absorbent tuft openings to the nonabsorbent tufts.

(3. A dustless sweeping brush, comprising a wooden or other porous brush back having tuft openings extending entirely therethrough, absorbent and non-absorbent tufts having their butts drawn within the tuft openings of the brush back, a shell on top of the brush back forming an oil reservoir, a lining for the oil reservoir closing the tops of the imn-absorbent tuft openings and having openings registering with the absorbent tuft openings, and tubular linings for the absorbent tuft openings to prevent the oil passing from the absorbent tuftopenings to the non-absorbent tufts.

Intestimony whereof, I aflix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

FREDERICK S. HUNT.

WVitnesses R. S. OALD\V.ELL, ANNA F. SOHMID'IBAUER. 

